The seven images from the series EU Palaces depict the official palaces of the seven monarchies in the European Union. I have retouched each one of these images so that the palaces no longer have any windows or doors.
I wanted to make these palaces into something reminding the viewer of monuments, memorials or mausoleums. In each image I have removed the national flag flying above each of the palaces. I wanted to make them thoroughly redundant as buildings, only of interest to passing tourists or as landmarks. I hope it also says something about the desire for privacy and to what degree the public wants/needs to be informed of royal affairs. My personal perspective was from a pro-European, anti-royal point of view, but I hope that the project still retains some ambiguity, and could even be read as celebrating the past.
On the one hand I am interested in European history - nationalism, relationships between the royal courts of different nations - in view of current European integration. On the other hand, I am interested in the architectural history of palaces and castles, how we progressed from medieval castles - windowless defence points - to our modern palaces full of windows, expressing confidence, wealth and sophistication.
To me, it makes sense to make sense of the real world through rearranging it, and in recent years my work has focused solely on computer manipulated photography. Each one of my images may contain up to 150 original images, or just one original image reworked. My images are not real, but attempt to be believable, existing in their own pseudo-reality. I am interested in idealism, and the fine line between utopia and dystopia.
